The boost in high school teams is made possible in part through the second consecutive year of the USA Triathlon Foundation High School Grant, which will distribute $75,000 in funding in 2017 alone. USA Triathlon is also accepting bid applications from race directors to host High School State Championships to create more event opportunities for athletes in grades 9-12.
“The main goal of the program is to get more youth involved in the sport and view triathlon as an outlet to engage in a healthy lifestyle,” said Jessica Welk, USA Triathlon’s High School, Collegiate Club & Women’s NCAA Coordinator. “This connects to one of our larger goals of continued growth with a special focus on youth. Since we are in the second year of the program, we are excited to expand with state championship events for high school students. We also plan to see more high school waves offered through existing sprint races, which will increase opportunities for various age groups.”
Establishing high school teams helps school-aged children consider triathlon more seriously alongside other varsity sports like swimming and cross country. But the program is also filling a void for athletes like Welsch, who did not always have access to a youth-specific team.
“The club team I was on a couple of years ago was mainly adults, besides my sister and one other older girl. They mainly had socials for the adults that we didn’t go to,” Welsch said. “On the high school team, we are all teens, and it just seems like we are more in charge. It is our club.”
The high school program also encourages athletes to take a greater role in the direction of their club, becoming leaders within the sport at a grassroots level. Welsch’s high school team is relatively small, but she teaches her teammates transition skills and leads the run workouts. Another student on the team, one of her classmates who competes in water polo and swimming, organizes the team’s swim workouts.
Aside from the involvement of the students who are often already multisport athletes, USA Triathlon is identifying other individuals who might be able to build out teams in their local areas with help from the grant funding. Among them, coaches and clubs across the United States with strong ties to their local school systems, which Welk says will create ambassadors that can assist in developing new high school programs.
Providing an outlet for high schoolers to turn to triathlon has the potential to foster a new wave of youth participation in the sport, especially when local teams might not be visible enough for some youngsters.
“For me, triathlon is fun. Most kids don’t even get the opportunity to participate, and if you don’t have it in school, most kids will not even know about it, or ever join an outside club,” said Welsch, who has been instrumental in forming her own high school team. “When I finish, because of the distances and the duration of the race, I feel like I have really done something, and it is a great feeling of accomplishment. I want the other kids at school to experience that feeling of achievement, too.”
To learn how to start a team in your area, visit
www.usatriathlon.org/
30 | USA TRIATHLON | SPRING 2017
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